Bob and Sandy Swyers have their flag spiffed up and ready for July 4. Of course, it won’t be doing any waving; and it can’t be folded and put away at day’s end.
Theirs is a 4-foot-square representation of Old Glory made of plastic cups set into the chain-link fence that borders their 3-acre Festus property.
Bob, 67, and Sandy, 65, along with their three daughters: Michelle (Jason) Vogel, Stefanie (Wesley) Besore and Kristi (Matt) Drinen, and their nine grandchildren, get together every year in early summer to refurbish the flag.
“We’ve been doing it for at least 20 years,” Bob said. “We got the idea from Deacon Jerry (Stoverink) at Sacred Heart (Catholic Church). They did it on their fence, and Sandy and I saw it and said, ‘Hey, we can do that.’”
The plastic cups in red, white and blue are pushed into holes in the fence to make the flag design, which is visible from I-55, just to the west of the Swyers’ property.
“The cups go in the links pretty tightly, so we don’t have to fasten them or anything,” Bob said. “If we get a really heavy storm, a lot of wind, we’ll lose a few, and I’ll run down there and replace those. Then at least once a year, we all get together and do a total replacement.”
The entire Swyers family makes a day of the annual refurbishment, which can take place any time between Memorial Day and Labor Day, depending on everyone’s schedule.
“We have a barbecue, the kids play ball,” Bob said. “Then we load up the trailer and head back to do the flag.”
In the early years, Sandy and Bob did the work.
“For a while it was just us, then us and the girls. Now it’s mostly the grandkids doing it,” Sandy said. “These days, we mostly just stand back and supervise.”
The couple said the community seems to enjoy their patriotic display.
“Truckers on the highway will blow their horn; people honk and wave,” Bob said. “It’s amazing, really, the support you get.”
They are glad to show their patriotism and love of country.
“We always fly a flag here at the house,” Bob said. “And this is another way to show the younger generation, get them thinking about why we’re free.
“My dad served in the military; Sandy’s dad, our brothers, uncles, cousins, we do this in their memory.”